Historical Archaeology 

About: Historical Archaeology is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Historical archaeology & Colonialism. It has an ISSN identifier of 0440-9213. Over the lifetime, 1624 publications have been published receiving 19686 citations. The journal is also known as: Journal of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Classification and economic scaling of 19th century ceramics

Abstract: Archaeological classification of ceramics is an outgrowth of the study of material from 17th and 18th century sites and as such they reflect the classification system in use during those centuries. By the 19th century the range of wares available was greatly reduced due to the success of the English ceramic industry which displaced many fine ware types such as white salt glazed stoneware and tin-glazed earthenware. The major type available in the 19th century was English white earthenware which included creamware, pearlware, white ware, and the stone chinas. By the 19th century classification of these wares by potters, merchants, and people who used them was by how they were decorated (i.e., painted, edged, dipped, printed etc.) rather than the ware types as defined by archaeologists. Using a classification based on decoration will achieve two things: an ability to integrate archaeological data with historical data and establishment of a more consistent classification system than is now possible using ware types.

Seizing intellectual power: The dialogue at the New York African Burial Ground

Abstract: The New York African Burial Ground Project embodies the problems, concerns, and goals of contemporary African-American and urban archaeology. The project at once has informed and has been informed by the ever-watchful African Americans and New York public. It is a public that understands that the hypothetical and theoretical constructs that guide research are not value-free and are often, in fact, politically charged. An ongoing dialogue between the concerned community, the federal steering committee, the federal government, and the archaeological community has proved difficult but ultimately productive. The project has an Office of Public Education and Interpretation which informs the public through a newsletter, educators’ conferences, and laboratory tours. The public, largely students, attends laboratory tours which often provide initial exposure to archaeology and physical anthropology. Much of this public involvement, however, was driven by angry public reaction to the excavation of a site of both historical prominence and spiritual significance.

A revised set of CC index values for Classification and Economic Scaling of english ceramics from 1787 to 1880

Abstract: This paper presents an updated and expanded set of CC index values for plates, teas, and bowls for the period 1787 to 1880. It is meant to replace the index values in the article “Classification and Economic Scaling of 19th-century Ceramics” (Miller 1980). In addition to expanding the range of years covered, it adds values for dishes and for Irish size teas, as well as correcting a misconception about the stability of the price of CC ware during the first half of the 19th century. A better understanding of the discount rates has made it necessary to recalculate the index values for the post-1844 period. This paper also presents extensive chronological and descriptive information on the common types of ceramics that were imported from the 1780s to the 1880s.

Material culture and social death: African-American burial practices

Abstract: Orlando Patterson has proposed that the institution of slavery caused the “social death” of slaves, in that the inherited meanings of their ancestors were denied to them through control of their cultural practices by slave owners and overseers. A survey of archaeological evidence for mortuary practices in African-American society, however, shows that this was not the case, as such inherited meanings were present throughout the early historical period, and in some communities are still present. The careful identification of such occurrences can only be made through comparison to African archaeological and ethnographic evidence. Such occurrences do not negate the horrors of the dominance of slaveholders over slaves in the New World, but do give an opportunity to celebrate the unique nature of African-Atlantic culture.